This next Wednesday, June 29th, the Rotary Club meets at the Lincoln Center, and hosts the always entertaining guest speaker, Bob Meroney. Bob, a fellow Rotarian since 1990, and emeritus professor at Colorado State University, has agreed to bring the club the results of some research on the Poudre River history. This river flows from the Rockies, passing through Larimer County to the South Platte River, and on to the Missouri and then Mississippi rivers. Over the centuries it has observed native Indian tribes come and go, early pioneers, and the settling of the front range. The presentation tells about some of the colorful characters, the early days of Loveland, Timnath, and Fort Collins, and the changes from plains to Fort to City over four-hundred years. Personalities revealed include Antoine Janis, Jim Beckwourth, Mariana Medina, G. Robert Strauss, the Sherwood brothers, Jack Slade, Auntie Stone, Ferdinand Hayden, and Isabella Bird.
Last week was our annual meeting devoted to the installation of our club’s new officers. This “changing of the guard” was framed as a “Peaceful Transition”. Past president Del Benson expertly choreographed the hour.
For our July 6th evening meeting at Sweetwater Brewing, Matt Canaga will be speaking. Matt was hired as a Medicolegal Death Investigator with the Larimer County Coroner's Office in 2009. He completed a police academy in 2011 and is a certified death investigator through the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. He serves on the board of the Colorado Coroner's Association and teaches death investigation techniques throughout the region. Matt has served as the Chief Deputy Coroner since 2020 and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Coroner's Office including the budget, hiring, training, facility, and statistical reporting
On Wednesday, July 6th, noon at the Lincoln Center, Rotary welcomes Ann Hutchison, President and CEO of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce. After her introduction by Steve Laine, Ann has been asked to address the important issues and plans of the Chamber at this critical time for the local region.